The national sterilisation programme has been extended to run 24 hours a day in Dubai for the next two weeks.
Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management ordered the 24-hour lockdown from 8pm on Saturday across all areas and communities in the emirate in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus.
Extensive medical tests will be carried out across densely populated areas of Dubai to ensure members of the community are free from the Covid-19 infection.
There are currently 1,505 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the UAE, with 10 deaths reported to date.
As with the previous temporary lockdown, which was introduced on March 26 and ran from 8pm to 6am, everyone is required to stay at home, with the threat of legal action for anyone who violates the 24-hour notice.
A statement from Dubai Media Office said: “Individuals will not be allowed to leave the house, except for essential purposes or if they are working in vital sectors exempted from the restrictions. These measures have been put in place to ensure people undertake trips outside the home in a planned and organised way.”
All people leaving home should wear a mask, gloves and ensure they keep a safe distance from others.
Union Cooperative outlets, supermarkets, pharmacies and food and medicine deliveries will be allowed to operate throughout the day.
Both Dubai Tram and metro will be closed for the duration.
Members of the public are allowed to go out for:
- Essential needs such as buying food from food supply outlets (Union Cooperative stores, supermarkets and groceries); only one family member is permitted to leave the house for this purpose.
- Buying medicines / getting medical assistance from healthcare service providers like hospitals, clinics and pharmacies
- COVID-19 tests
Employees working in the below vital sectors are exempted from restrictions and permitted to leave their house at any time of the day to commute to work.
Vital sectors exempted from restrictions (24 hours a day):
- Healthcare services (hospitals, clinics and pharmacies)
- Food supply outlets (Union Cooperative outlets, supermarkets, groceries)
- Delivery services (food and medicine)
- Restaurants (operations limited to home deliveries only)
- Manufacturers of medicines and providers of healthcare and medical supplies
- Industrial sector (only vital industries)
- Industrial supply chain for services and basic commodities
- Water and electricity sector, petrol and gas stations and district cooling services
- Telecommunications sector
- Media sector
- Airports, airlines, ports, shipping
- Customs duty and border crossings
- Public and private security services
- Municipality services and public and private service providers involved in garbage collection, sewage management and general cleaning and sanitation
- Private and government sector organisations involved in combating the coronavirus (COVID-19).
- Public transport (buses and taxis only; metro and tram services will be suspended)
- Construction sector, subject to obtaining a permit from Dubai Municipality and the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs.
Support sectors – (employees working in these sectors are permitted to commute to work between 8am and 2pm)
- Banking and financial services (banks and exchange centres)
- Social welfare services.
- Laundry services (for permitted outlets)
- Maintenance services
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